Among the many clichés that get tossed around in our culture, I’m confident you’d agree that one of the most popular is the phrase “trust the process.” An up-and-coming athlete gets benched while trying to improve. A

If you talk with church planters about missions teams from other churches, you will often get mixed feedback. Some planters love them and are eager to use them, and others try to avoid them at all costs.

S.M. Lockridge was a prominent African-American preacher who served as the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in San Diego, Calif., during the 1900s. He was well-known for his passionate preaching style and spoke an often-repeated phrase from

You don’t have to be a leader for long before you start receiving unwanted e-mails, text messages, or phone calls from “admirers.” While some may be innocent, it’s difficult to tell at the start, and for the

If you pay much attention to my social media page, you’ve probably noticed a theme. No, I’m not talking about the Dallas Cowboys! I share pretty regularly about reaching students with the Good News of Jesus Christ

Christmas is almost here, and as pastors, the weight of preparation for that Christmas sermon can sometimes be daunting. Every year Christmas provides the opportunity to reach more people with the life changing message of the

Development is necessary for any profession, and church planting is no different. Who wants a heart surgeon who has never operated on a heart before or a contractor who’s never picked up a hammer? Church planters need

It seems every department store starts pushing Christmas earlier every year. Radio stations start spinning their favorite holiday songs the moment Starbucks hangs its first holiday drink ad. It doesn’t matter that everyone south of the Mason-Dixon

Every winter, church media producers and communication directors across the country begin a time-honored and terrifying ritual: the Church Christmas Pageant. These local, church-sponsored theatrical presentations are usually videotaped for archives or bookstore sales; and although everyone

April 23, 2003, is a day that then 13-year-old Natalie Gilbert will never forget. On that day, she was scheduled to sing the national anthem for the 2003 NBA playoff game between the Dallas Mavericks and the

Have you ever found yourself asking the question, “Who am I?” or “Why am I doing this?” Maybe it was after a discouraging Sunday morning experience. Maybe you had to have that same conversation with that same

Not only did Jesus testify to the authority of Scripture, but also He testified to its authenticity. Jesus viewed Scripture as being verbally inspired by God. When He read the Old Testament scrolls—whether the Law,

For any organization, any business, and any church, having a clear mission is vitally important. Likewise, in order to make wise choices, we must have a clear vision of what God wants to accomplish in our

This past Sunday at Southbridge, we had an incredible day of worship. At the conclusion of the sermon, I gave an old-fashioned altar call, inviting people to come forward and kneel at the altar and do business

You’ve got to get serious about your goals. Achieving your goals is important. You have to write them well, otherwise a year of discouragement and disappointment is in store for you. I use the acronym S.M.A.R.T.E.S.T. to

When I was cutting my teeth in ministry, I was full of youthful angst, longing for more opportunities to grow and serve. A local pastor approached me to lead worship for his congregation each Sunday. He didn’t

Pornography is ravaging the hearts and minds of men and women worldwide. Today, the accessibility to pornographic images is simply a click away. Movie channels, the Internet, and apps such as Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and other media platforms provide unfettered …

I have been married to my wife, Hillary, for 15 years and despite the fact that we talk every day, at times we easily have issues with communication. Either I’m not listening or she’s not sharing or we’ve both made …

Have you ever felt that your sermon could use some assistance? This is a tough feeling. After all the people closest to us, family and church members, are often not in the best position to offer substantial help. You may …

Parents have a unique calling placed on their lives. The moment they receive news that they will welcome that bundle of joy into the world, God calls them to serve as the primary spiritual trainers for their child (Ephesians 6:4). …

Father’s day is around the corner and this gives us an opportunity to speak specifically to the men and to the dads about what it means to live a legacy. So many people talk about leaving a legacy, but I …

As men of God, we are called to a high standard of conduct that demands far more of us, and is so much more rewarding and fulfilling, than just avoiding the so-called big sins. One concern I have for us …

What is your church’s growth strategy? Do you have one? Unfortunately, for some church leaders, by default the strategy becomes “We hope we get some visitors this week.” As church leaders, in many ways, the growth of our church is …

Mother’s Day is here and Mother’s deserve to be honored. Mothers have been called from time to time the heart of the home. If the husband as the Scripture tells us is the head of the home, certainly the wife, …

As a preacher, you are constantly trying to improve your craft. Your goal is to be an effective preacher and communicator in order to reach as many people as possible with the Gospel. You spend countless hours studying Scripture, developing …

All throughout Scripture you see a template of God saving, but saving out of judgment. Adam and Eve sin in the garden, and God saves them. He is actually saving them from His own judgment. You see them leaving the …

The Great spiritual song Were you There? Asks this question: Were you there when He rose up from the dead? That is a thought provoking question. Of course, it seems impossible. We, living 2000 years later, wish we had been …

History bears testimony to an ebb-and-flow relationship between man and God, which impacts not just the human heart, but also entire communities, churches, cities, countries, and even continents. For instance, there was a time when Europe was an utterly pagan …

You may remember a time when our nation’s obsession with fitness was considered a craze, just a fad. The media even used the term fitness craze to describe what was then a new trend in terms of people’s awareness about …

Riding on the City of New Orleans, Illinois Central Monday morning rail Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders, Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail. All along the southbound odyssey The train pulls out at Kankakee Rolls along past houses,

One of our most valued and long time clients has been Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas. We work with the PowerPoint radio and television outreach hosted by Pastor Graham. Kathleen and I consider Jack and

The irony of the Christmas season is that Christ gets pushed out. That’s clear enough. It’s an observation that’s good to make to our people when we preach as we refocus their attention on the manger not the mall. But

Pastor Jack Graham recently sat down with us to discuss the importance of preaching during the Christmas season. Watch this informative and poignant interview to hear some of Pastor Graham’s favorite ways to preach one of the most familiar and

As a pastor, preparation for a Christmas sermon or series can be a daunting task. It’s prime time to share the message of Good News. Every year the Christmas season provides the opportunity to reach more people with the life …

Ahh, Millennials… Church leaders are trying their best to figure out how to reach this segment of the population that reached adulthood around the year 2000. Once reached, though, Millennials are still far from commitment. Many Millennials select the parts

With the recent release of several videos showing the horrific truth about Planned Parenthood and its practice of harvesting and selling baby parts, it is fitting that we preach on the sanctity of life. As pastors, we must protect the

Tiny wonder, little human,
Lying still, your hands outstretched.
I wonder what you might have been,
I wonder what you might have done.
Sixteen weeks – that’ s all you lived
Until they wrenched you out of the womb
To

“We receive many visitors every week, but not many of them stay.” One struggle that many churches face is an inability to retain visitors. If this describes your church, then be encouraged, because there are steps you can take to …

One of the most vital Great Commission ministries for any church is the small-group ministry. At Prestonwood we employ a “Sunday School” model we call Bible Fellowship. Our classes meet after Worship Service on Saturdays and before Worship Services on …

This past week, the family once again came under attack in America. This is an old fight dating back to the Garden of Eden when Satan seduced the first family with lies and deception. The same lies are in play

If revival is to come to the church, and if the Good News of Jesus Christ is to spread to the nations, it will be because men became godly and began living their faith with passion and integrity. I firmly …

It has been my experience through four decades in pastoral ministry that every church is only as strong as its men – as strong as their faith, their ingenuity, their confidence, their resolve, their commitment to walking in the ways …

Isn’t it interesting how our routine is perfectly designed to get the results we are currently getting? If we don’t like the results, we simply need to change our routines. We already have a routine in these areas and a …

The 64th annual National Day of Prayer, May 7, 2015, will have profound significance for our country. It is an unprecedented opportunity to see the Lord’s healing and renewing power made manifest as we call on citizens to humbly come …

Many things have changed since I became a preacher. The one thing that hasn’t changed is my commitment to boldly proclaim the powerful, life-changing news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am convinced that there is no greater time …

Easter is when we celebrate the greatest comeback in history. It’s the greatest story ever told. It’s an epic day! Why? Because Jesus conquered death for us and we celebrate the miraculous event of His Resurrection! He is risen! He …

After decades working with churches around the world, I’ve discovered one of the most difficult challenges pastors face is finding the right “Executive Pastor.” Smaller churches don’t usually need one, but as churches grow, a leader in that role becomes …

It doesn’t take long in any ministry to realize that you can’t do everything yourself. It’s impossible. The key to success in ministry then is recruiting leaders and volunteers. But the recruitment phase is just step one. More important than …

One of the key strategies to Planter-Partner relationships that the Prestonwood Network strives to build is to have partner churches come alongside church planters and offer support. Partner churches do not have the singular role of providing financial support but …

Through our partnership with the North American Mission Board, the Prestonwood Student Ministry has given our high school and college students the opportunity to not only serve here at home, but also to serve nationwide as summer missionary interns with …

I will be the first to admit—I am far from an expert on church planting and the role that laypeople can play in that mission, which is perhaps not the best way to start an article on the subject. That …

One of the greatest challenges that a church planter faces is the ability to recruit and train volunteers that can effectively carry out the mission of making disciples. Because this is the role of the local church as mandated by …

As a pastor, preparation for an Easter sermon can be a daunting task. It’s an epic Sunday and every year provides the opportunity to reach more people with the life changing message of the Gospel, than any other Sunday. Pastors …

Make plans now to join thousands of men from across North Texas for impactful worship, engaging fellowship and dynamic speaking at the 2014 Men’s Conference at Prestonwood. Hear challenging, engaging and relevant messages from gifted and dynamic speakers with a …

The world is more interested in darkness and evil than ever before. Culture seems to trivialize the darkness and treat it as superstition rather than the supernatural. We sat down recently with Pastor Jack Graham to ask him of the …

Valentine’s Day is a very special day to remember the one that you love. For our widows in our church, this day was always a dreaded day for them. It was a day filled with great memories and tears of …

Developing and maintaining a vibrant discipleship model is something we in church culture often covet. In the never-ending process of creating new ideas, it can become easy for leaders in the Church to develop a natural bent when it comes …

Christians of all generations have done it differently. But the invitation needs, in some way, to compel and invite people to take a public stance for Christ. We sat down recently with Pastor Jack Graham to ask him why public …

We sat down recently with Pastor Jack Graham to ask his advice on how to be faithful, stay the course, and be satisfied for the longevity of ministry. Watch this revealing and instructional interview to hear how Pastor Graham stays …